Lessons Learned in Preventing War and Conflict: The Case of Rwanda

Africa and the world over have been victims of conflict which have devastated the political, social and economic fabric of many states. Some states today still suffer the wounds of conflicts suffered many decades back. Africa in particular has been and still remains victim of recent conflict right from pre-colonial wars trying to resist colonial rule, violent struggle for independence and post independence strife. The post independence causes of conflict in Africa may be complex and country specific. Some conflicts are rooted from colonial political structure of divide and rule which was upheld by post colonial governments such as Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia where the Siyad Barre regime which initially after the coup in 1969 had outlawed “clannism” later relied on divide and rule tactics between Somali clans to hold on power. Others were wars of independence such as Namibia and former Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), while others took the form of session conflicts such as Senegal (Casamnce in the mid 1980s) and Nigeria (Biafra 1967-70). Countries such as Uganda had their conflicts rooted in delivering the country from dictatorial regimes such as the 1978-79 war and the 1980-86 liberation war. The conflict in Rwanda is a peculiar one in Africa and probably the world over. It exemplifies a systematic, well planned and unchecked massive killing of over eight hundred thousand civilians majority of whom Tutsi and moderate Hutu. This genocide which lasted less than three months stunned the world and offers a new twist and lessons to be learned in the broader concept of conflict management. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the 1994 genocide in Rwanda; more specifically the probable causes, actors, steps taken to avert the conflict and lessons drawn from the conflict in preventing war and conflict in general terms.